Developer hosts meeting on outlet plan Thursday

Project proposes Tanger mixed-use property east of I-270

From The Peterson Companies
The Peterson Companies, developers based in Fairfax, Va., are hosting

The Peterson Companies is scheduled to host a public meeting about its proposed Tanger fashion outlet plan on Thursday in Clarksburg Village.

Peterson of Fairfax, Va., wants to build a mixed development on the 100-acre Miles Coppola property at the northeast corner of Interstate 270 and Md. 121 (Clarksburg Road) with Tanger fashion outlet stores, restaurants, housing units and a possible hotel.

The public is invited to comment on the plan from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Clarksburg Village Clubhouse.

Peterson is competing for approvals with three other developers — Streetscape Partners, Simon Property Group and New England Development — that want to build a similar mixed-use complex with Premium outlet stores at the southwest corner of I-270 and Md. 121 on land owned by Adventist Healthcare.

On Sept. 10 a county Planning Board meeting is scheduled to accept public comment about amending the Clarksburg Master Plan for the final Phase 4 of development in Clarksburg. The Planning Board, and ultimately the County Council, which has the final vote, could decide to allow the Peterson plan with mixed-use zoning or they could leave the site for residential use only.

The Miles-Coppola property, which Peterson has under contract, sits at the headwaters of Ten Mile Creek, which flows southwest through Boyds into Little Seneca Lake, a backup drinking water reservoir for the Washington region.

Peterson claims its project will not add to water pollution and that it will complement the future development of the Clarksburg Town Center, a grocery-anchored retail area west of I-270.

Peterson has said it would extend a main sewer line east so that businesses in part of the Clarksburg historic district could hook in, solving a problem with failing septic systems.

Company officials have said Peterson also would contribute money for the construction of a Md. 355 bypass to divert through traffic around the historic district, an alternative to widening two-lane Md. 355.

Streetscape and its partners, meanwhile, claim they can open long-awaited stores at least two years sooner than Peterson, because the project already has the zoning and water/sewer extensions and also completed many of the required environmental, forest conservation and traffic studies.

Streetscape has an approved concept plan but is currently before the county hearing examiner for a ruling that would allow an increase in its retail space from 120,000 square feet to 484,000 square feet to allow for the stores.

The Streetscape hearing has been continued to Sept. 4. Once the hearing is concluded, the hearing examiner will send recommendations to the County Council for final review.

If the retail space increase is approved, Streetscape claims it can open stores by the end of 2015.

Peterson claimed the same time frame in an email to The Gazette on Tuesday, assuming the County Council supports the project as part of approval for Phase 4 development in the Ten Mile Creek watershed.

Peterson said it also would need to get a zoning change through a sectional map amendment, which it expects would clear by early summer of 2014.

“We have already undertaken certain environmental submissions and received determinations,” according to the email. “Based on this schedule, we anticipate that the water and sewer authorization will be completed by late spring or early summer 2014.”

“Once we have secured all site plan approvals, construction should begin in time for a scheduled Grand Opening in late 2015,” it said.